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Anna Wintour Appointed Artistic Director of Condé Nast

The longtime Vogue editor-in-chief gets new responsibilities at the New York-based publishing house.

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

March 13, 2013

by

Stephanie Chan

There's no denying that Anna Wintour is one of the most powerful names in fashion. Since taking the helm of Vogue in 1998, the 62-year-old editrix has been the subject of "fiction" (The Devil Wears Prada) as well as documentary films (2009's The September Issue and last year's In Vogue) and often garners more fashion show flashbulbs than the A-list actresses joining her in the front row.

Now, Wintour has been given a promotion at her publishing house, being named artistic director of Conde Nast's 17 publications and 27 websites — which include Glamour, The New Yorker and Architectural Digest. The hefty title comes in addition to Wintour's EIC label at Vogue and her position as editorial director of Teen Vogue, which was launched under her oversight in 2003.

"Anna has been a driving force behind the success of Conde Nast, so it is a great privilege to extend her influence beyond the Vogue brand to the rest of the organization,” said Conde Nast CEO Charles H. Townsend in an official press release.

The promotion comes at an interesting intersection for Wintour. Though she was the driving force behind Fashion's Night Out in 2009, the retail initiative was recently put on hiatus in the U.S.. And though rumors swirled that the fervent fundraiser for President Obama was in line for a diplomatic post, she ultimately was passed up for the job. Though many in the industry wonder when Wintour will retire, this newly created role makes it seem like she won't be leaving the workforce anytime soon (She takes over some of the responsibilities previously held by S.I. Newhouse Jr. who, at 86, is no longer involved in daily company operations).